Gunmen Attack Checkpoint In Umunze Anambra, Kill 3 Police Officers
Three police officers were, on Thursday, killed when gunmen attacked their checkpoint in Umunze, a community in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria’s south-east.
The incident happened early in the morning.
The gunmen were said to have stormed the checkpoint along Umunze-Ihite Road in the community and opened fire on the officers, killing three of them on the spot.
Residents said some shop owners near the scene of the attack abruptly closed their shops for fear of being caught by stray bullets.
A video clip, apparently shot after the incident, has been circulating on various WhatsApp groups.
In the now viral clip, seen three bodies of the slain officers were seen lying along the road close to the checkpoint.
The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a statement, Thursday evening.
Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, described the killing of the officers as “unfortunate.”
“It is part of the highest prices security officers pay in serving the nation,” he said.
He, however, said the police in the state were not “deterred” by the development.
“The reinforcement teams are already in the area and the manhunt for the assailants is ongoing while joint security patrols have been intensified in the area,” the police spokesperson stated.
Increased attacks
Like other states in Nigeria’s south-east, security has deteriorated in Anambra State with frequent attacks by armed persons.
The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.
The latest attack comes days after gunmen abducted an unidentified man at Afor Market Junction along Nnobi Road in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.
The Nigerian government has accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks.
IPOB is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the south-east and some parts of the south-south Nigeria.
